


What You Think You Know

by ereshai



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gen, M/M, Takes place after season 3a, The Alpha Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 05:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2217831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ereshai/pseuds/ereshai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another Alpha pack has come to Beacon Hills. What do they want with Scott this time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	What You Think You Know

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Alpha Pack](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2218527) by [kultiras](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kultiras/pseuds/kultiras). 



> Check out the [art by kultiras](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2218527), which inspired me to take on another writing project with a deadline :D. It prompted all sorts of possibilities, and I only scratched the surface of one idea.

The diner was packed with the weekend lunch rush. It wasn’t Scott and Stiles’ usual hangout, but Scott felt the need to be just another face in the crowd, even if being surrounded by strangers was tripping his fight-or-flight instincts. Their waiter, a kid Scott vaguely recognized from school, dropped their plates on the table with a clatter and a murmured ‘Oops’. They were both having burgers and fries; the only thing on the menu they were sure couldn’t be too horrible.

 “Is it me, or are there a lot of new faces in town lately?” Stiles shoved a fry in his mouth as he surreptitiously looked around.

“Hmm? Yeah, I guess. I mean, it’s not like we know everyone in town,” Scott answered absently. He glanced at his phone for the tenth time.

“Give me that.” Stiles pulled the phone out of Scott’s hand and put it by his own plate. “Look around you, Scott. Any one of these people could be dangerous. I mean, why would anyone come to Beacon Hills without an ulterior motive?”

“What ulterior motive?” Scott took a bite of his burger and chewed slowly while he glanced around at all of the unfamiliar faces in his line of sight.

“It could be anything,” Stiles told him. “Other werewolves trying to muscle in on your territory. Hunters. Previously undiscovered supernatural beings with an ancient grudge against all things wolfy. Aliens, even.” He popped a few more fries in his mouth.

Scott chuckled. “I don’t think we need to worry about any of that right now.”

Stiles furiously chewed and swallowed his food. “That is a bad, bad idea. We have to prepare for the worst.”

“Stiles,” Scott sighed. “Can’t we take one day to relax? Just one day?”

“No. Now, does anyone in here smell suspicious?” Stiles looked around the dining area again, craning his neck to get a good look at everyone, stealth forgotten.

“Stop that,” Scott hissed. “People don’t smell suspicious.”

“No, I mean,” Stiles lowered his voice, “does anyone smell _supernatural_?”

“I’m still working on picking up individual scents in a crowd. I do better with familiar scents.”

“Great, you can practice now, then.” Stiles smirked and picked up his burger. He took a big bite, a bit of limp onion dangling from his mouth, which he slurped back in with a wet, smacking sound.

“Stiles, I’m trying to eat.” Scott let his own burger drop onto his plate. Stiles jerked his head to indicate the nearest occupied table and waggled his eyebrows. “All I smell is food…and your body spray. Did fall in a vat of it or something?”

Stiles glared at him. “Ha. Ha, ha, ha,” he said flatly when his mouth was no longer full.

“Look, if there were other werewolves here, I’d notice. Other things aren’t so easy. I have to look at their body language, mannerisms, certain habits. Derek’s been trying to teach me, but he grew up knowing this stuff. It’s just instinct for him, and he can’t always explain _why_ he knows something.”

“Well, wouldn’t that work for you in reverse? You’re familiar with the human version of those things, right? So if someone seems off, there’s your suspect.”

“Stiles, that would make _you_ my suspect.”

Stiles reached over and flicked his forehead. “Funny. Just pick someone.”

“How will we know if I’m right?”

“I don’t know, compare them to someone you know is human. But not me, Mr. You’re My Suspect.”

“I don’t know how helpful-“

“Scott, you’re like a brother to me, and I tell you this with love. You’re going to get yourself killed if you don’t start suspecting everyone. _Everyone._ This is Beacon Hills. There’s no way you’re the only thing that goes bump in the night in this room.”

“Isn’t that a little paranoid?”

Stiles shrugged. “Doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to get us.”

A sudden, sharp burst of laughter from a booth along the far wall drew their attention. Two white men sat there, a blond in jeans and a t-shirt, the other, slightly older with thinning light brown hair, wearing a suit and tie. The casual guy was showing his phone to the other man, who nodded as he took a bite of his food.

“How about them?” Stiles grabbed his glass and stuck the straw in the corner of his mouth so he could drink while he studied the two men.

“What about them?” Scott picked up his burger again. “I don’t know them; how would I know if they’re human or not?”

“Watch them. They obviously know each other and get along, so there’s a good chance they’re both human. Or not-human. ”

“We’re not,” Scott said, and took a bite of his burger.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Not everyone is as cool as we are.”

Scott chewed thoughtfully as he covertly studied the two men. Casual Guy was doing all of the talking; something about a woman they knew. Suit Guy mostly nodded and smiled. Casual Guy had his legs stretched out under the table, pressed firmly against Suit Guy’s, who didn’t seem to mind. Casual Guy swiped a bite of Suit Guy’s food.

“I can’t tell. It’s not like there’s a supernatural way to eat,” Scott told Stiles.

Stiles looked at the two men again. Casual Guy was holding out some of his food on his fork, and Suit Guy leaned forward to eat it. “So no verdict on their humanity or lack thereof?”

“I think they’re just a regular couple eating lunch. Can I eat _my_ lunch now?”

“Fine. But then I want you to concentrate on ZZ Top over there.” Stiles nodded his head at another man sitting at the lunch counter, drinking coffee. He was burly, with scraggly brown hair and an equally scraggly beard. His clothes needed washing, and once Scott noticed it, he couldn’t block out the smell. He put his burger down again.

“Whatever he is, I’m suddenly not hungry.”

“Really? What about-“

“Enough, Stiles. Let’s just pay for our food and get out of here.”

Stiles looked down at their still mostly full plates. “I’ll take care of the check. You want a doggie bag?” He kept his face perfectly straight.

Scott pulled a couple of bills out of his wallet and handed them over. “Yes, I would love a to-go box, if you would be so kind.”

Stiles just grinned at him and walked over to the cashier. Scott retrieved his phone and checked it again, then looked out the window while he waited for Stiles to come back, barely noticing the people walking past. He caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye; he turned just in time to see Casual Guy walking by. As he passed Scott, their eyes met; the man gave him a tight-lipped smile, and his eyes flashed red.

Scott froze. Stiles had been right; anyone could be after him and his pack. He braced himself for a confrontation – hopefully it wouldn’t be a physical attack, not in public – but the alpha kept walking, his steps never faltering. Scott watched him walk past the counter where Stiles was standing – still no hesitation – and then he went through the door, turned down the sidewalk, and vanished from sight.

Someone was hovering by the table. Scott turned to see Suit Guy standing there patiently, a pleasant smile on his face.

“ZZ Top, as your friend called him, is all too human. We, however, are not,” he said. “We’re not here to cause trouble, Mr. McCall. We have no interest in your territory, nor will we harm anyone in it without provocation.” He pulled a business card out of an inner pocket and set it on the table. “My boss would like to speak with you. Please call to arrange a meeting; we’d like to finish our business here as soon as possible.”

Scott ignored the card. “Why did your alpha leave instead of talking to me himself, then?”

The pleasant grin remained, but his eyes turned red. “He’s not my alpha,” Suit Guy said. “Have a nice day, Mr. McCall. We look forward to hearing from you.”

Suit Guy walked away, passing Stiles on his way to the cashier. He paid his bill in cash, and then went out the door, where he got into a waiting red convertible. Casual Guy was driving.

“Nice car,” Stiles said, following Scott’s gaze. “Mid-life crisis, anyone?”

Scott picked up the card. There was a number written on it, and nothing else. He flipped it over; his stomach dropped when he found a familiar symbol embossed there. He held it out to show Stiles. “I think we’re in trouble.”

Stiles snatched the card from his hand. “That’s the Alpha pack’s symbol.”

“Yeah. They’re both alphas.”

“What, the two guys who just left?” Stiles looked outside, but the two men had already driven away. “Why are they here _now_?”

“Considering what we just went through with Deucalion and the rest…”

“Exactly. Why didn’t they show up for the final boss battle? They’re a little late, aren’t they? What did he say to you?” Stiles handed the empty to-go box to Scott, but he kept the card, studying both sides intently.

“He said his boss wanted to talk to me.” Scott dumped his plate into the box. Stiles did the same, though he held on to his burger.

“His boss? It can’t be Deucalion; that doesn’t make any sense. That means we’ve got at least three strange alphas in the area.” Stiles took a bite of his burger.

“Looks like it,” Scott said as he stood up. Stiles handed him the card, and he stuck it in his pocket. “We need a plan. Let’s get out of here.”

Stiles’ eyes twinkled, and he nodded vigorously, still chewing. Scott grabbed his food and they left the diner in a rush.

==

In a quiet neighborhood on the edge of Beacon Hills, Melinda May walked up to a house with a battered For Sale sign in the overgrown yard. She pulled a key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and opened it just enough to step inside.

Most of the furniture on the first floor was covered with dust cloths, except for the dining room table, which was covered with a large map of the city. Maria Hill stood over it, studying it intently, and she looked up when the other woman entered the room. “May,” she said with a nod.

“Hill.” May returned the greeting, and went to stand next to her. They both looked at the map, which had been divided into six color-coded sections.

“What did you discover?” Hill asked

“There isn’t much left of the Hale pack. The boy, Derek, is no longer Alpha.”

“But he’s still alive.”

May nodded. “I can’t tell if he’s McCall’s beta, or an omega. It seems to depend on which way the wind is blowing.”

“And the rest of the Hales?”

“Just Peter, Talia’s brother. Definitely an omega. If anyone else survived the fire, they aren’t here.” May took a small flag pin from the container holding down one corner of the map and used it to mark a specific street. “The Hale house is gone. Derek stays here now. Peter comes and goes; I haven’t tracked him to his den yet. ”

“Let’s see what the others have found before we make any decisions about him. I know,” Hill said when May raised an eyebrow, “we need to deal with him. But he isn’t our priority right now. What about the hunters?”

Before May could answer, they heard the front door open and close. Natasha Romanoff appeared in the doorway.

“Romanoff, good timing,” Hill said. “As soon as May finishes her report about the hunters in the area, you can tell us what you’ve learned about Deucalion and the others.”

Romanoff bypassed the map table and flung herself onto the cloth-covered chair in the corner. “Fine with me. Hello to you, too, by the way.”

“I’m sorry,” Hill said, her voice brisk. “How rude of me. Hello, Natasha. Welcome back. Would you like a cold drink? Foot massage, perhaps?”

“Why, yes, Maria,” Romanoff replied sweetly, “a cold beverage sounds lovely, now that you mention it. The foot massage can wait until later, though. I wouldn’t want to disrupt all the serious business going on in here.” She waved her hand airily at the table.

“Foot massage? I’m in,” an exuberant male voice chimed in unexpectedly from the back of the house. “My dogs are barking.” Clint Barton, in a t-shirt and jeans, walked into the room.

“That was terrible, even for you, Clint,” Romanoff told him. “Where’s Coulson? Maybe he will have better luck convincing you that you aren’t funny. You obviously won’t listen to me.”

Phil Coulson, in his customary suit, entered the room. “What makes you think I haven’t already tried?”

“Hey, Melinda laughed at one of my jokes once,” Barton protested. “What does that tell you?”

“I was thinking of something else at the time,” May said. “Don’t drag me into this, Clint.”

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of our systems,” Hill said pointedly, “let’s get up to speed. May tracked down what’s left of the Hale pack, and basically there isn’t one. She was just about to fill me in about the hunters.”

“The Argents are in town,” May said.

“God, not Gerard Argent,” Barton groaned. “I hate that mean old bastard. Can’t we just kill him? I can make it look like an accident.”

“Gerard is incapacitated; something strange is going on with him. It’s his son, Chris, we have to worry about. Chris has a daughter, Allison, who’s taken up the family business, probably due to her mother’s recent death.”

“Let me guess, a werewolf is responsible,” Romanoff said wearily.

“That’s my theory. But Allison is involved with McCall’s beta, so perhaps not.”

“Not the first time that’s happened, and likely not the last. She’s still a danger to us,” Hill said. “Romanoff, what about the alphas?”

“Gone, just like the Hale pack, from what I can tell. I found no sign of Deucalion, but Kali and Ennis are dead. The twins are still hanging around, and they aren’t alphas any more. Do you want me to run them down and get some answers?”

“Let’s see what Fury has to say about that. He hasn’t bothered to share his plans with me,” Hill said. “Where are they staying now?”

Romanoff rose gracefully from the chair and approached the table to indicate a large area outside of town. “Beacon Hills Preserve. Probably in a cave, judging by their stench and the dirt on their clothes. It will be no trouble to track them.”

“Maybe this won’t be as hard as we thought,” Barton muttered.

“Coulson, what about McCall?” Hill asked.

“He’s very young-“ Coulson began.

“Yeah, what’s with all the teenaged werewolves around here?” Barton said. “Do they still believe that bullshit? That kids who haven’t even reached their full growth can take the Change better? What’s a bunch of radical physical changes on top of everything else they’re going through, right?” His arms were crossed over his chest, and his face was more grim than usual.

Coulson put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “He’s very young, but he seems to be handling it, despite his lack of proper guidance. As far as I can tell, he only has one beta, Isaac Lahey.”

“What’s your take on his relationship with Derek Hale?” May asked.

“They run hot and cold.” Coulson dropped his hand and stepped up to the map table, where he marked a few streets with the flag pins. “McCall is hard to pin down. His pack seems to change according to his needs. His best friend, a human named Stiles Stilinski,” Barton snorted a laugh, but suppressed it at Coulson’s hard look, “is the only other person I would say with certainty is part of his pack. The others I would tentatively include are Allison Argent and Lydia Martin.”

“Who happens to be a banshee. The Martin girl, not the hunter,” Barton added.

“What?” several voices said all at once.

 “Phil didn’t believe me, either. Banshee. That’s a thing.” He looked around the room. “We’re werewolves, for fuck’s sake. Other supernatural creatures shouldn’t come as such a shock.”

“I believe you, Clint,” Romanoff said, and smirked at Coulson when he raised an eyebrow at her. “I ran across two kitsune.”

“Fuck. What’s next, dryads?” Barton wondered aloud, then when he saw the looks of disbelief aimed at him, “Also totally a thing. Natasha and I ran into a copse of them before we started playing for Team Alpha. Nasty little fuckers. Use your bones for toothpicks, once they pick ‘em clean.”

“We are all well aware of the existence of other supernatural creatures, Barton, and we will deal with them on an as-needed basis,” Hill said. “First, I want the locations of every known werewolf, banshee, kitsune, and other supernatural beings marked on this map, as well as the hunters.”

“We don’t usually come across so many species in such a small area,” May said. “Other weres , maybe, but a banshee and kitsune, too? I wonder what else is out there.”

“There’s a reason this place is called Beacon Hills,” Nick Fury said from the hallway. “The supernatural is drawn here. And with the Hale pack out of the way, there’s been nobody to keep things under control.”

They all turned to greet the final member of their pack. “Sir. We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow,” Coulson said.

“I’m moving up our timetable. We need to do what we came to do by tomorrow. We’ve got bigger things to worry about, and even that may be too much of a delay.”

“We all agreed-“ Hill began.

“And we’ll take care of it, as agreed. Just more quickly than we’d planned.”

“What could be so important?” The frustration in Hill’s voice was unmistakable.

“Alexander Pierce,” Fury replied.

“Pierce is dead,” Romanoff said. She seemed relaxed, but that would only fool people who didn’t know her.

“Apparently, his legacy is not.” Fury idly traced one of the scars on his cheek.

Coulson and May exchanged glances. “Garrett?” Coulson asked, and Fury nodded.

“We don’t have the time for McCall to come to us on his own,” Fury said.  “I want to meet with him as soon as possible. Then we can deal with my ambitious beta, and any of yours with similar ideas.”

The mood in the room darkened, but no one protested his words openly. Barton was shaking his head, muttering, “Not Katie-Kate,” under his breath, so low everyone could pretend not to hear him. They were all thinking along those lines, though; no one wanted to believe any of their betas would try to kill them in order to become alphas themselves, especially as part of a grandiose scheme that involved turning people in positions of power into werewolves, willingly or not. That had only been the first part of Pierce’s plot, and when Fury had discovered his alpha’s intentions, he had killed him to prevent it, becoming Alpha in his place.

Fury’s win had come at a high price – he’d lost his eye, as well as someone he’d thought was a trusted friend and leader. Of Pierce’s remaining three betas, only one – Garrett – had chosen to stay with Fury. Ward, the youngest, had joined Coulson’s pack, and Barnes, a scarred wolf with little memory of his past, had gone to Romanoff. If Garrett was continuing Pierce’s work, the other two might be doing the same. The betas answered only to their own alphas, but each individual pack was part of the larger whole, forming a complex hierarchy of rank that was difficult to unravel. Garrett, Ward and Barnes were perfectly placed to convince or bully the other betas to join the plot. Pierce’s betrayal was an old wound, but the pain of it was still there. They all had a trace of doubt about the loyalty of their betas; they had to return to their packs as soon as possible.

“Bring McCall to me. Do whatever you have to do.”

==

“It should not be so difficult to track someone down in this day and age,” Stiles said, banging his steering wheel in frustration. “He has a cell phone, why doesn’t he _answer it_?” He shouted the last part toward the phone in Scott’s hand. The call had gone straight to voice mail.

“Derek, it’s Scott,” Scott said into his cell, ignoring Stiles. “Something happened today. I don’t think we’re done with the Alpha pack after all. Meet us at the lacrosse field as soon as you can.” He ended the call.

“So we’ve got Isaac, Lydia, and Allison. I hope Derek doesn’t show up with Peter.” Stiles shuddered. “Call him back, tell him not to bring Peter.”

“I’m not going to tell him that. Besides, Peter might know something useful.”

“He probably knew this was going to happen,” Stiles muttered. “That would be just like him. Fine, he can come. Maybe Lydia discovered a new banshee power. She can test it out on him.”

“Sure, why not?”

They pulled up beside the grassy field and got out. Stiles pulled his lacrosse equipment out of the back seat.  “Just in case anyone asks why we’re here,” he said, then, when Scott slammed the door, “Hey, watch it! I just got Roscoe back.”

Scott rolled his eyes and buffed the door with his shirt sleeve. “There, all better.”

They walked over to the bleachers, where Allison and Lydia were waiting. Isaac was in the field, lobbing balls at the goal.

“Stiles,” Lydia said as they approached. “Just in time. You’re going to show me who to use a lacrosse stick. I’ve always wanted to try it out.”

Stiles looked confused, but before the word ‘Jackson’ could cross his lips, Scott elbowed him in the side. “Better do what she wants, or she’ll try out her new banshee powers on you.”

“Funny. Look,” he whispered, “it’s obvious she’s doing this to get you and Allison alone for some reason. If you don’t want to talk to her right now, just say the word. I’ve got your back.”

“It’s fine, Stiles. Try not to teach her any of your bad habits.”

Stiles shoved Scott sideways. “C’mon, Lydia. Let’s pretend you haven’t already calculated the perfect angle and speed necessary to make a goal.”

Lydia smirked. She bumped Allison’s shoulder lightly with her own, and jumped off the bleachers. “Why bother to pretend? It’s time to put theory into practice,” she told Stiles as they walked over to where Isaac was practicing.

“Everything okay?” Scott asked as he sat down near Allison.

“Is everything okay with you? You’ve been distracted lately.”

“I’m fine,” Scott began. His phone dinged with an incoming text. He hastily pulled it out of his pocket, and his shoulders slumped a little as he read. “Derek’s on his way,” he said as he put it away.

“Were you expecting to hear from someone else?”

“Not really.” Scott leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “My dad, maybe.”

“Oh.” Allison was silent for a moment. “You’re in contact with him again?”

“No.”

“Is he supposed to call?”

“No.”

Allison put her hand on his shoulder. “Scott, does he even have your number?”

“Maybe. Probably not.”

“You know I still care about you, right?”

Scott nodded. “I care about you, too.”

Allison moved her arm, draping it across Scott’s shoulders in a sideways hug. “And you know you can talk to me, if you need to.”

Scott nodded again.

“I’m not saying you should forgive your dad, or even that you should be the one to reach out, but if you’re willing to talk to him, shouldn’t you let him know that somehow?”

“I don’t know if I even want to talk to him.”

“What do you want?”

“I want him to want to talk to me, enough to keep trying, even when I make it hard for him. I want to know if he cares.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I want to know if he doesn’t.”

“Oh, Scott…”

“I shouldn’t even be worrying about this right now. There are more important things going on than my absentee father.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re only human.” Scott burst out laughing, and Allison smiled. “Sort of, I mean.”

The laughter died down, and Scott stared across the field. “There’s Derek and Peter,” he said, pointing at the two men approaching from the other side. “Let’s go.”

They stood up to join the rest of group. Scott stopped Allison with a light touch on her arm when she started to walk away.

“Thanks for listening. I appreciate it.”

Allison smiled at him, and they walked together in companionable silence. When they reached the others, she went to stand with Lydia. Stiles moved next to Scott, and Isaac gravitated between Allison and Scott, as if he wasn’t sure where he should be. Derek and Peter joined them then, Peter slightly off to the side, creating a staggered circle. Everyone looked at Scott and Stiles.

“So what’s this about the Alpha pack?” Isaac asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You know, the one that’s not supposed to exist anymore?”

Scott pulled the card with the Alpha pack’s symbol out of his pocket and handed it to him. “A man gave this to me today.”

Isaac studied the card, and shot a puzzled look at Scott before he handed it to Allison. “What does this mean?”

“Well, the guy was an alpha, so…”

“So we’re not done with the Alpha pack,” Allison stated.

Lydia plucked the card from her fingers. “That’s not the only possibility,” she said. “But it is the same symbol.”

“That’s what I said,” Stiles burst out. “Or something like that. If they’re part of Deucalion’s pack, why are they just showing up now?”

“You should know better than to accept things from strangers, Scott,” Peter said, mock stern. He stepped closer to Lydia. “You’re sure he was an alpha?” he asked as he craned his neck to get a closer look at the card. He backed off at Lydia’s pointed look, a half-smile on his face. Lydia handed the card to Derek and then stepped further away from him.

“I know an alpha’s eyes when I see them. The guy with him was an alpha, too. Unless there’s something else out there I should know about?”

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself,” Stiles said. “I mean, is there some sort of chameleon-type creature running around that can make itself look like an alpha?”

“How many alphas did you actually see? It’s more likely to be a couple of opportunistic packs trying to cash in on the Alpha pack’s reputation in order to take advantage of an inexperienced alpha,” Lydia said, nodding at Scott. “They may not even know the Alpha pack has been here.”

“Okay, that makes more sense than my chameleon idea,” Stiles muttered. “Not as cool, though.”

“But why would they do that? What’s the point?” Scott looked at Derek, who shrugged.

“Werewolves,” Derek said, then paused to stare at Stiles, who had snatched the alpha’s card from his hand. “We like to have a lot of land to roam. Sometimes a large pack will expand their territory. They go in and get rid any other weres in the area, killing them off one by one to weaken their alpha. Then the alpha of the invading pack issues a challenge, and they almost always win. Small packs don’t stand a chance; the only way to survive is to leave quickly.”

“If a couple of small packs are looking for a new home, they would definitely team up against you,” Peter added.

“Packs tend to steer clear of Beacon Hills, though,” Derek said.

“They used to,” Peter corrected him. Derek nodded and looked away.

“So they’re just looking for a place to live? Why do they need to kill anyone? There’s plenty of room,” Allison said.

“ _If_ that’s what’s going on,” Lydia said.

“Right,” Stiles said. “We need more data.” He moved away from the group, his phone in one hand, the card in the other.

“More than one pack could live here, if someone was enforcing the peace between them,” Peter said. “As the Beacon Hills Alpha, that would fall to Scott. The other alphas would constantly test his strength, both physically and mentally, and if he failed even once, they would kill him. Then they would turn on each other, until only one pack was left. To the winner go the spoils.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Isaac said. “If these packs got along before, why would they suddenly start fighting?”

“Old agreements mean nothing in new territory. Why share if you don’t have to?”

“One, this is all hypothetical,” Lydia said. “Two, that kind of behavior doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t they just negotiate, instead of killing Scott and then each other?”

“They’d try,” Peter answered with a shrug. “It would last for a while. Our territorial instincts are hard to ignore, though. It’s the nature of the beast.”

“But they – you – aren’t beasts,” Allison said. “You’re people, and people don’t act like that.”

“Of course we do. Human or werewolf, that’s exactly how we act. Humans just try to pretend they’re better than that.” Peter looked very pleased with himself.

“Then it’s a good thing my father and I are here,” Allison snapped.

“Hunters are the perfect example-“ Peter began, sneering.

“That’s enough.” Scott’s voice was mild, but it drew everyone’s attention. “Lydia’s right, this is all hypothetical. I’m going to set up a meeting.”

“What?” Stiles said, rejoining the group. “No. Bad idea. It’s probably a trap.” He waved the card in the air. “I can’t do much on my phone, but what I did discover is that this number is out of New York City. That’s a long way for a pack to come looking for a new home.”

“Even more reason for me to talk to them,” Scott said. “We need to know what’s going on.”

“Fine,” Stiles said. “Let’s track them down and spy on them, figure out how many werewolves we’re dealing with. Then, if we have to kill them, we’ll have the element of surprise.” Everyone stared at him. “What?”

“Spying on them is a good idea,” Isaac said. “But maybe not the killing?” He looked at Scott for confirmation.

“We’ll see what we can find out about them, and _then_ I’ll meet with them,” Scott said. “Killing is the absolute last resort. All right?”

Everyone nodded.

“So, where do we start?” Allison asked.

==

May entered the store and looked around. A store employee approached her, a customer service smile firmly in place.

“Do you need help finding anything special today?” she asked.

“I’m looking for a birthday gift for my niece,” May replied, still scanning her surroundings. The store was small, but it sold a wide variety of items – clothing, shoes, jewelry, makeup – each separated into their own zones in the open floor plan. There were no tall shelves, making it easy to see the other customers. She spotted her quarry almost immediately.

“I could give you some suggestions based on our best-selling items,” the employee offered.

May turned to look at her and gave her a small smile. “I’ll just look around, thank you.”  She walked away before the woman could answer.

Allison Argent was browsing a clothing rack at the back of the store. There was another girl with her; May recognized her as Lydia Martin. There was a large display of nail polish in the middle of the store, and she went to stand in front of it. She pulled out her phone, and sent a group text.

_Found her. The banshee is with her._

A reply came from Hill almost immediately. _Let us know if they split up. Barton, you’re with Romanoff._

May picked up a couple of bottles of polish and pretended to look at them while she focused on the two girls’ conversation.

“-like he has a special Dad radar. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get away,” the Argent girl was saying.

“I don’t think I should be tracking down alpha werewolves on my own,” the Martin girl replied tartly.

“Of course not. Roaming around town, hoping that you would be drawn to a dead person that may have been killed by the alphas was _not_ a serious suggestion. I can’t believe any of them fell for that.”

“Teenage boys don’t think with their brains. I thought you knew that. Ooh, what about this one?” Martin held up a multi-colored top, waggling it in the air.

Argent laughed and shook her head. “No, thank you. Anyway, I have a better idea. How are you with computers?”

“I’m awesome with anything, eventually, but to save time, let’s talk to Danny.”

May turned abruptly, and went to the checkout counter, setting two bottles of nail polish in front of the cashier.

“Did you find everything you were looking for today?” he asked as he scanned the items.

“Yes,” she said abruptly, paid the total, shoved her purchase in her pocket, and left. She waited until she had walked past Chris Argent, who was waiting just outside the store, before pulling her phone out again to make a call.

“They’re looking for us,” she said when Hill answered.

“ _This changes very little._ _Can you still get them into place?_ ”

“It shouldn’t be a problem. They’re going to ask Mahealani’s son for help. I’ll call her, have her point him in the right direction.”

“ _Come back to the house first; that may not be necessary. Fury’s just decided to try a more diplomatic approach. You can take over coordinating the others while I take care of that.”_

May hung up and exited the mall. In the parking lot, she mounted her motorcycle, started it up, and rode away.

=

Hill got out of the car and joined Coulson on the sidewalk. They nodded at each other in greeting.

“He’s in there?” she asked, looking at the building across the street.

“Yes. I saw him looking out the window. I let him see me.”

“Anyone else?”

“Lahey, for sure. The boy has good instincts; he knew he was being followed, even though he never saw me,” Coulson said.

“Let’s do this. Will you consent to be my second?” The words were oddly formal.

Coulson nodded gravely. “I’ll follow your lead.”

They crossed the street and approached the door, which opened before they reached it. Derek Hale stepped out, followed closely by Isaac Lahey and Peter Hale. Hill and Coulson stopped abruptly.

“What do you want?” Derek growled. Lahey fidgeted nervously behind him, but Peter only crossed his arms and smirked at them.

“Do you really want to discuss this here?”

“I’ve had enough of strange alphas in my home. It doesn’t end well.”

“How about more neutral territory?” Coulson said, pointing behind himself at a green space at the end of the block. It held a raised flower bed and a couple of benches.

Derek nodded. “After you.”

Hill and Coulson turned their backs easily and walked away. The three werewolves soon followed. When they reached the benches, they turned to face each other. Nobody sat.

“Now,” Derek said. “Why are you here?”

“We were willing to wait for McCall to contact us in his own time, but we no longer have the time. We need to meet with him, today.” Hill clasped her hands behind her and waited.

“Let me guess, you want him to join your little alpha pack. But first, he has to kill off his pack. Right?”

“No,” she said simply, but her eyes flared red. “We need to speak with him, as the Beacon Hills alpha.”

“Then why are you talking to us?” Lahey spoke up.

“We’ve approached him; the next move is his. All we’re asking from you is that you encourage him to contact us as soon as possible. This is standard for visiting packs; hasn’t anyone taught you that?”

Derek looked uncomfortable as Lahey shook his head. “We’re not going to let you near him,” he snarled.

“Put your fangs away, puppy. You were an alpha?” Hill’s voice was thick with disbelief. Peter snorted. “We know McCall sent you out to look for us,” Hill continued. She held out a hand to Coulson, who placed a card in it. “Here’s our address. We can’t wait long; we’ll break protocol if we have to.”

Peter stepped forward and took the card from her. “We make no promises.”

“Of course not. McCall is an alpha.”

“Oh, it’s worse than that,” Peter said. “He’s a teenage boy.” He handed the card to Derek, and the three of them left without any further conversation. Hill and Coulson waited until they entered the building where Derek lived before returning to Hill’s car.

As soon as the car doors closed, Hill let out a slight growl. “I hate begging. McCall better show up.”

“I think we have different ideas of what constitutes begging,” Coulson said.

“They should do as they’re told,” Hill snapped. “What passes for a pack around here is a disgrace. They know nothing of pack interactions; they didn’t even observe the common courtesies. The pup I might be able to excuse, but the Hales? They should know better, and I _know_ Peter does.”

“If the reports are true, we’ll be dealing with him soon enough. Let’s focus on our real purpose for now.”

“I hate playing emissary,” Hill said, turning the key in the ignition and revving the engine. “I think I’ll try out the new nail polish Melinda bought for me, very soon. Fury hates the smell.”

“So do you.”

“Not as much as he does. It’ll be worth it.” Hill put the car in gear and sped away.

==

Scott, Stiles, and Isaac pulled up to the curb a few houses away from their destination.

“I still think this is a bad idea, Scott. I mean, Alpha pack, c’mon.”

“I need to do this. Even if they’re here for revenge, I have to do things my way, not theirs.”

“No point waiting any longer, then.” They hustled out of the Jeep, and walked up the sidewalk, stopping in front of the address written on the card Isaac had brought to them. Derek showed up a few moments later, Peter with him.

“All right, here we go,” Scott said, but before he could approach the house, a car screeched to a halt beside them. “I thought you couldn’t get away,” he said as Lydia and Allison jumped out of the vehicle.

“We ditched my dad at the mall,” Allison said.

Scott smiled, and turned around. The door to the house, previously closed, was now open, and a tall, bald, black man with an eyepatch stood in the doorway.

“If I invite you in, will you accept? Or do we need to take this outside?”

Scott looked around. The neighborhood was quiet; they were in the expensive part of town, and there was plenty of room between the houses, and privacy hedges grew on the borders of each property.

“Outside works for me,” he said.

“In the back, then,” the man replied, and closed the door.

They followed the decorative brick walkway around the side of the house to the backyard. The alphas were already there, four of them in a line on the other side of the yard. The man from the porch was standing slightly ahead of the other. Suit Guy from the diner stood to his left, and two dark-haired women, one white and one Chinese, were on his right.

“McCall. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting,” the one-eyed alpha said. “My name is Nick Fury, and these are my associates.”

“Where’s the other guy?” Stiles whispered, looking around.

“I know this isn’t your whole pack,” Scott said. “You should know, if you’re going to try something, we won’t go down easy.”

“Our other pack mates are running an errand. They should be back right about…now.” As soon as he said the word, Ethan and Aiden came stumbling through the opening in the privacy hedge, followed by a red-haired woman and Casual Guy.

The twins looked a little roughed up, but they weren’t badly injured, as far as Scott could see. They both had wooden handcuffs around their wrists, and they moved sluggishly. The red-haired woman led them to the back porch. “Sit,” she said, and the two did so without a word. Then she and Casual Guy took their places with the rest of the alphas.

“Mountain ash cuffs,” Fury told them. “Useful for containing criminals of the supernatural kind.”

“How do you handle them without being affected yourselves?” Lydia asked.

“Is that really what you want to talk about right now?” Allison hissed.

Scott waved a silencing hand at his friends. “Why are you here? Is this about the Alpha pack?”

“We _are_ the Alpha pack.”

“You were with Deucalion?” Scott asked.

The alphas in front of him tensed, though no one made a move.

“Deucalion had a pack of alphas, yes, but they were not the Alpha pack. They impersonated us, and used our pack symbol for their own purposes, none of it good. They have a lot to answer for.” This was directed toward the twins. Aiden and Ethan ducked their heads and hunched their shoulders. “Now, we are aware that Ennis and Kali were killed. We got Heckle and Jeckle over there. The question of the day is: where is Deucalion?”

Scott and Derek exchanged looks. “We’re not sure. After he killed Ms. Blake, I mean, the darach-“

“So he got away again.”

“Not exactly. I mean, he used to be- We thought he could redeem himself.”

“Let me get this straight. You let him _go_?”

“Everyone deserves a second chance. And he knows we’ll come for him if he-”

“Yes, I’m sure he’s very sorry, and he won’t do it again. Coulson,” Fury barked. Suit Guy stepped forward. “Find that joker and set a watch on him. Call in whatever favors you have to. If he puts one claw over the line, we’re putting him down.” He turned back to Scott as Coulson pulled a cell phone out his suit jacket and walked away, Casual Guy at his heels. “He has to answer for his crimes. You don’t get to absolve him; I don’t care if you are a ‘True Alpha’.” He shook his head. “You’ve got a lot to learn, kid. Former alphas make dangerous omegas.” He flicked a glance at Derek, who looked steadily back at him.

“You can’t just kill him.”

“Yes, I can, and I will if I think it’s necessary. Some wolves can’t handle the power that comes with being an alpha. They tend not to last very long, for whatever reason. We deal with the dangerous ones who manage not to get killed by their own pack. We also try to deal with other problems packs tend to face.”

“Then where were you when my family was killed?” Derek asked, accusation in his voice.

“I was not part of the Alpha pack at that time. According to our records, your sister said it was an accident. She was given the help she needed to start over with you, and then she was left alone, at her request.”

“She went to the Alpha pack?” Slowly, the tension between the two groups seemed to dissipate.  Scott and Derek stayed with Fury, and the rest of them broke up into two small groups. The red-haired alpha stationed herself by the twins, while the other two women kept an eye on Scott’s friends. Or, more specifically, Peter.

“Any pack, any werewolf, can ask us for help, though many alphas refuse to do so. Most of them don’t even tell their betas that we’re an option. Maybe that’s why she came back to deal with the situation on her own. Alpha pride,” Fury said, shaking his head.

“And you don’t have that problem,” Scott said in disbelief.

“Of course we do. But we,” Fury indicated the other alphas, “try to be aware of it and deal with it. That’s the only way this can work.”

Stiles broke away from the rest of his friends, and approached the alphas by the porch. “So, what are the requirements to be part of a real alpha pack? Apart from being an alpha, and killing off your betas. Why do some make the cut, and not others?”

“What?” the red-haired woman bit out. She stood up suddenly, right in Stiles’ face, and he took a step back. The Chinese woman moved between them.

“That’s not a path we choose to take. There’s more to being alpha than strength.”

Scott pulled Stiles away from the women.

“As much as you desperately need to be educated about…everything,” the third woman added, “we don’t have the time to do it.”

Suit Guy – Coulson – strolled back to join them. “Deucalion corrupted an ancient ritual. In times of war between packs, betas could choose to sacrifice themselves, giving their strength to their alphas, as a means to ensure the survival of the pack as a whole. It was used only in times of extreme need.” Coulson paused. “It is possible Deucalion wasn’t aware of its original purpose.”

“So you all still have packs? And you’re part of the alpha pack?” Lydia joined the group. “That sounds…complicated.”

“Sharing time is over,” Fury said. “Deucalion isn’t here, and we have other things to take care of.” He turned to Scott. “We’ll be looking for Deucalion. If he comes back, can I expect a call from you? Any of you?” He looked around at the Beacon Hills pack, but no one met his eye. “That’s what I thought. All right, let’s pack it up. I want us on our way home within two hours.”

The alphas sprang into action, securing Ethan and Aiden and moving inside to get their things.

“Wait,” Scott said to Fury. “What are you going to do with them?”

“If possible, rehabilitation, and then we’ll find a new pack for them. They committed crimes, by human and werewolf laws, and they have to pay for that. We don’t kill unless we have no other choice, so stop looking like we strangle kittens for fun.”

Scott nodded. “You said packs could ask for help. I need help. I don’t know what I’m doing, and-“

“And your guides aren’t the greatest,” Fury finished for him. Derek and Peter glared at them. “Call us next week. We should have a better handle on our business then. We’ll set something up. Anything else?” he asked when Scott opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“Is there a cure?” he finally asked. “Is there any way I can go back to what I was?”

Fury looked at him for a long moment. “No. Not that we’ve found. And we’re looking. Too many people are turned without their consent. Some weren’t told the full truth. Hell, maybe they just discovered it was the wrong choice to make. You see, the bite is a gift – for the right person.”

“What if you’re not the right person?”

“If you survive, you make the best of it. It doesn’t have to end badly, even if it isn’t something you would have chosen.”

Fury turned and walked away, his coat billowing around him.


End file.
